One in five Hollywood films this year will be sequels as the movie industry
sets a new record for releasing follow-ups and studios are accused of
lacking ideas.

At least 27 widely distributed films will be instalments of previously successful releases, leading to 2011 being dubbed the "year of the sequel". According to a study by movie tracking website Box Office Mojo the previous record for releases of sequels was 24 in 2003.

There were a relatively low number last year, only 19, but four of the top five grossing movies in the US in 2010 were part of the tried and tested Harry Potter, Twilight, Iron Man and Toy Story franchises.

Brandon Gray, of Box Office Mojo, said: "Hollywood is dipping into the well of past glory more than ever. It's truly unfortunate that the story is held in such little regard." The US box office has just had its worst January in two decades, despite critically acclaimed hits like "The King's Speech" being in cinemas, and Hollywood executives are relying on sequels to turn that around.

There will be a record five "part 4" sequels including Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. And there will also be an unprecedented five "part 5" movies including X-Men: First Class, Final Destination 5 and Fast Five. Six sequels are follow-ups to originals that were only released last year, signalling the determination of studios to strike while the iron is hot.

Examples of the unseemly rush to get sequels into cinemas quickly include "Piranha 3DD," a follow up to the horror comedy "Piranha 3D," which was only released in August.

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Three blockbuster sequels are also already lined up for the Christmas 2011 box office showdown with the latest "Mission: Impossible" film being released on Dec 16, the same day as "Sherlock Holmes 2" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked."

Defenders of the trend claim sequels allow film-makers to further develop characters and deliver better movies than in the first instalment.

Don Harris, distribution executive for Paramount Pictures, which is releasing the third Transformers film this year, told USA Today: "Studios invested a lot of money to tell these stories and introduce these characters, and people want to see more of them."

The willingness of studios to take risks on original ideas has been affected by the increasing use of social networking websites by audiences, which means bad films get even fewer viewers than before.

In addition to the 27 sequels scheduled for release this year a slew of other possible follow-up projects are also being looked at, including new "Bridget Jones" and "Ghostbusters" films.

The biggest grossing film of 2011 is also expected to be a sequel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.